Martinique: The good, the bad and what is in between

Here is a quick sumary about what to expcet when you are planing to visit Martinique Island. Before we come here I had no idea what being here is like even that I read lots of blogs and articules. Most of those articules they only tell about the actvities and sight seeing tips but not the rest of the details. Here I tried to remember most of the things I discovred and gone thought since we came here:

Tempruture: The weather is great and it got even better now since we got here. During the end of October and November, the humidity was very very high, and it rained often without any warning. Its often around 30 - 26 c. I recommend doing outdoor activities before noon or after 15:00 if you know you will be away from shade and ac. When you go out always be prepared that it can rain anytime.

Beach: Every beach has its own charm. For us, as a family with a toddler, we try to go to beaches that are safer, calmer and closer to home in case it rained. In our area Les Trois-Îlets there are two beaches we usually go to, the one nearby the ferry and another one next to hotel Bakoua. Sometimes we go to Le Salines beach when we arrange families get together with the rest of the Norwegian Crew families. Diment beach is good too, but the waves are too high and dangerous for kids. Le Diamant and Le saline beaches has shade because there are lots of trees, the only problem is when you sit another trees expect sand ants and coconut falling... and what not..

Food and service: This was our biggest disappointment in the island. Food quality and food sources are limited. Especially if you are used to good international cooking, its hard to find certain ingredients and if you did it's often too expensive. Eating outside in restaurants is even worst, you might pay a lot for a decent basic meal and end up not satisfied. We had lots of disappointments where evem meat was raw. The same with service, It often takes too long for drinks and food to come. Service is very lazy and laid back. Everything is pricey including seafood. Except local goods like fruits and vegetables.

People and culture: Local people are very friendly, often minding their own business. They give a hand if you need help especially when I am with my toddler outside by myself. The French native people where not that friendly especially if you spoke English with them. They do not even try to explain or use English words. I was told its a competitive policy to get people to learn french and become more international like English culture. Personally I think this policy makes me not wanting to learn / use my basic french anymore.

Wild life: Since I got here, Ive seen lots of bugs and strange plants. I got a visit by a Centipedes in the middle of our living room as I was packing, It was disgusting and scary I kept itching my body whole night that night. Ive seen big crabs hanging out in the sewer. Seen lots of cute colorful lizards and worms. And at night I saw those light bugs that I only thought exist in fairy tales. They make the night seem magical. Mosquitoes and sand ants are uncontrolable and there is also a Sand worm that can enter your skin while sunbathing which one should be careful about. Be prepared for the very loud cricket insect sounds if you ever visit Martinique.

Accommodation: If you are looking for affordable accommodation in a good location do not count on having a good standard rental. As for us since we were looking for a long term rental, it was not an easy task finding a good one. We lived in two different basic small rentals until we found our final accommodation for the rest of the period. I recommend booking very early to find something good with a decent price. Each accommodation we lived in had its good and bad. The worst thing was electricity limitation, garden wild bugs, but all of them were in good location only about 5 mints to the beach and everything else.

Getting around: Les Trois-Îlets and Le Diamant are one of the good places to stay at. Renting a car is a must since most of the food/shopping areas are in Fort De France (downtown). If you want to do sightseeing and exploring the island public transport is not recommended. I suggest you live somewhere where there are some shops and restaurants in case you do not intend to drive here.

To be continued..